Tea Party doesn't auto-default to GOP

From Washington State to Washington, D.C., the Tea Party movement has mobilized against government spending and politics as usual, but fiscal conservatism does not make them automatic allies of Republicans. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

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>>>simpson will lead that effort. our huge
national debt
is one of the issues driving the
tea party
movement, and while they are out to be a political threat to both established
political parties
, today some of the activists who have been gathering under the
tea party
banner came face-to-face with the republican powers that be. nbc's
andrea mitchell
has more on this from our
washington
newsroom tonight. good evening.

>>reporter: good evening, brian. from
coast to coast
, it is a
national movement
, loosely organized, by universally angry at
big government
. today some of them came to the
belly of the beast
. they are mad as you know what and say they are not going to take it any more. from
washington state
to
washington
, d.c.

>>can you hear us now?

>>reporter: tea partyers are mobilizing against
government spending
and politics as usual, today showing up at republican national
head quarters
at the vintation of nervous party leaders.

>>i don't want the gop to co-op this movement. we are about our own issues,
fiscal responsibility
,
limited government
,
free markets
. we want true conservatives in office that are going to be held accountable to the people that hired them and put them there.

>>reporter: by definition, the
tea party
is not an organized
political party
. most are fiscal conservatives, and while many love
sarah palin
, they say they don't want a leader. nor are they automatic allies for republicans.

>>i've run into some incredibly independent leaders and i have every faith that they will remain independent.

>>the message to the
republican party
is clearly, you need us more than we need you.

>>reporter: they are the people who showed up in nashville ten days ago. voters who helped republican
scott brown
win his upset victory in massachusetts. some are
ron paul
libertarians like his son ronde paul.

>>i think we are close to that point where we will pay a price if we don't get our government under control.

>>you could say there are two john mccains, the one who cam opinions like a conservative and the one who legislates like a liberal.

>>reporter: radical fringe groups swept up in a growing political storm.

>>the largest most diversified, most energetic
small governmentgrass roots
movement i've seen in all of my years in politics.

>>reporter: people in today's meeting said the republican national chairman
michael steele
promised to stay out of the way and work with the
tea party
group when they can agree on candidates, even if that is not all the time. brian?